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| | | Road test: Kawasaki Z1000. Z and the art of creating a street fighter |  Written: 03/05/2006 : 09:40. Read 40615 times (19/day). | Kawasaki’s Z1000 is now on its third year holding Japan’s honour high in the big nakeds market. The titanium colour scheme is the only new thing on the 2006 Z1000. The big Z is still one of the fastest naked things around, however the European manufacturers have stepped up their game with Aprilia Tuono R, BMW K1200R, Triumph Speed Triple and Ducati Monster S4RS-all more powerful or lighter.
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In 1998 Kawasaki launched its most powerful sportsbike ever, ZX-9R. Only the groundbreaking Yamaha R1 ruined the party for Kawasaki. Much in the same way as Suzuki GSX-R 1000 has inherited the positions of the old Honda Fireblade and Yamaha R1. ZX-10R also lives in the shadow of another legend to be. Z1000 however, with its ZX-9R derived engine, lives in the shadow of no one. The styling, horsepower and handling was spot on straight away in 2003. Has it aged gracefully?
Looking at the Z1000 you just want to ride it. Not all bikes can do this to a rider, but the big Z certainly screams out “ride me”. And that’s what I did as soon as the key was handed over. As usual I have a fair few miles on motorways to tackle straight away and that is ideal to start gelling with the engine characteristics. The Z1000 has just got that bit extra engine performance to make it significantly more exiting to ride than the Z750. If you compare the engine to a big V-twin (Tuono R & Monster S4R) the characteristics are somewhat disappointing-but only then, because as soon as the revs are up the acceleration is addictive. There is no doubt that Z1000 features enough horsepower, however for such a motorcycle I would prefer even more torque and power from the word go. One solution could be to change to a smaller front sprocket and a larger rear sprocket. Top speed is irrelevant on these motorcycles and often the gearing is far too high to comply with noise regulation. I did however see more than 150mph on the digital speedometer during the test. It took a while to reach those speeds and it is not very comfortable as the wind tries to decapitate you. The fuel injection that feeds the 953cc in-line four engine worked without a hitch. This sort of bike will almost certainly have to stand up to quite a lot of abuse with on and off throttle for wheelies and hard acceleration in first and second gear in city centres. Kawasaki really has got the fuel injection sorted on its Z series motorcycles. The gear box seems solid and the ratio between the gears suits both the hooligans and the sports rider. I never hit a false gear and each gear clicked in perfectly.
Whilst the smaller Z750 is lacking in several areas, the one major thing that I would have changed about the Z1000 is that steel chassis. A modern aluminium frame and swing arm would have done the big Z a world of good. I happen to think Kawasaki will make these changes in 2007 (Euro 3 and all that), but for now the 2006 model will have to do. Z1000 is with its claimed 198kg dry weight is not a light weight. We know that that fancy machine gun exhaust system adds quite a lot of weight. However, Kawasaki is not a stranger to using some titanium on their sportsbikes so why not give the Z1000 the same treatment. A motorcycle like this would not be as popular if it was seen as a budget streetfighter. Considering that the competition has added Ohlins, Brembo and fancy light-weight wheels all along, the Z1000 could do with some of these too. Suspension is already very good and fully adjustable and the brakes are powerful four pots. Expect the next generation Z1000s to feature radial callipers from the ZX series though. The brakes are four pot Nissins that are easy to dose correctly with a progressive feel. They would have been even better if the bike weighed less.
The 820mm seat height is sports bike territory, but the high and wide handlebars make sure you can sit upright and in comfort. On certain occasions when accelerating hard I felt a slight headshake at each gear change up. Nothing dangerous, it just added some liveliness to the riding experience. The short 1420mm wheelbase is also sportsbike territory and makes sure you can wheelie in third and forth gear over crests. On my local roads the Z1000 handled like a slightly overweight sportsbike. Even though the steel frame adds loads of weight it is also very stable and the bumps are easily soaked up. Due to the buzzy in-line four engine and loads of power above 8.000 rpm the Z feels faster than it is. Every ride on the Z1000 was fun and yet again confirms to me that a naked sportsbike is more exciting on the roads than a full on sportsbike.
Finish holds a high level on the Z1000. Everything from the polished wheels, unique exhaust, stylish rear end and a bikini cowl that looks like it’s designed by Walt Disney shouts streetfighter. That’s what this bike is about, shouting the statement that you don’t care about plastic racers but performance is still important.
Conclusion
Z1000 anno 2006 will be a future legend for Kawasaki just as the one from the 70s’. It has got that wow factor and street credibility you want from a street fighter. Better than the rest?-No, not really, but probably the best Japanese naked. I love the looks and that the fact every ride on it was very entertaining. The top end performance is great, but somewhat lacking below 8.000 rpm. Suspension is good whilst the dry weight should be reduced with at least 10-20 kilos. More torque and less weight would make the Z1000 brilliant.
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Styling
Suspension
Powerful top end engine performance
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Too much weight
No low end oomph
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Claire McHugh
The photo gallery
Model Year: 2006
Engine type: 4-stroke, liquid-cooled In-Line Four
Displacement: 953 cm³
Bore x stroke: 77.2 x 50.9 mm
Compression ratio: 11.2:1
Valve/Induction system: DOHC, 16 valves
Maximum power: 93.4 kW {127 PS}/10,000 rpm
Maximum torque: 95.6 N·m {9.7 kgf·m}/8,000 rpm
Fuel supply/Carburettor: Electronic Fuel Injection (ø38 mm x 4)
Ignition: Digital
Starting: Electric
Transmission: 6-speed, return
Frame type: Diamond, high-tensile steel
Rake/Trail: 24°/101 mm
Suspension, front: 41 mm inverted cartridge fork with stepless rebound damping and spring preload adjustability.
Suspension, rear: Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock, stepless rebound damping and spring preload adjustability.
Wheel travel, front: 120mm
Wheel travel, rear: 138mm
Tyre, front: 120/70ZR17M/C (58W)
Tyre, rear: 190/50ZR17M/C (73W)
Brakes, front: Dual semi-floating 300 mm discs with opposed 4-piston calipers.
Brakes, rear: 220 mm disc with single-piston caliper
Dimensions (L x W x H): 2,080 x 770 x 1,055 mm
Wheelbase: 1,420 mm
Seat height: 820 mm
Fuel capacity: 18 litres
Dry weight: 198 kg
Automatic Headlights On (AHO) is an initiative introduced by the European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) in 2003 in order to increase the conspicuity of motorcycles. All 2004 MY Kawasaki have AHO fitted and this system operates in the following way. The headlamps automatically switch on after the ignition has been switched on and the starter button has been released.
Automatic Headlights On (AHO): Yes
Complies to EU emission limit: EURO 2
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